Hanako’s album opens up with Lost Time and I thought it’d be an interesting song to open up the album but honestly, Lost Time is such a slow burner and lacked a lot of interest from me up (at least the until the chorus) at least that sounds rather nice but the other parts of the song are just disappointing for me.

2. Toshiue no Kare

I guess I can be happy that she put this song afterwards because this is actually a whole lot more interesting. I’ve always said that Hanako’s strengths are in her upbeat songs (and some of her ballads). Toshiue no Kare has this kind of cute/genki feel that oddly feels like You Kikkawa’s music haha. This is pretty good actually hmmm…

3. Futari Kinenbi

It’s nice they followed up with Futari Kinenbi since it tones down the energy that was in the previous song. Even though I still think Hanako’s vocals are very cutesy and pitchy, she doesn’t do too bad in this song really. Not bad and is still kind of catchy, especially the chorus here. Not bad!

4. Cinderella

Funny enough, the fourth song is actually the lone A-side to represent the era here. I thought this’d be the perfect to follow after “Toshiue no Kare” but somehow that didn’t happen here. It’s not bad and it’s better than a couple of the other A-side I’ve reviewed since adding her to the site. Quite passable!

5. Sayonara wa Iwanai Mama

Slowing down back to ballad land, Sayonara wa Iwanai Mama. It’s funny though since the song reminds me of “Kawaranai Mono” in some cases especially some of the chorus. It’s a memorable melody even though the arrangement is pretty sparse with only piano as the backing instrument. Basic, but it works.

6. Shunshoku no Sora

Another cute tune huh? There seems to be more of these than we had in “Utakata” it seems. It isn’t as upbeat like the other upbeat tracks I’ve reviewed so far, but this is breezy and pretty to listen to. It almost seems to suit her cute vocals. I thought it kind of worked for her once again and I thought it was endearing and just adorable!

7. Kimi no Egao (album ver.)

You might be wondering what this song is since it got tagged with an album version and all. Well, it’s actually one of the two new songs that were found on “Kimi no Egao -smile selection-” (her first best-of). To me, it seems like it was resung and the arrangement has added strings. It’s alright but there’s nothing extravagant to make it stand out.

8. TAKOYAKI

Eh? A song about takoyaki, the food? What?!? Yeah I don’t get it either it but this is actually pretty interesting of a song. Taking a few notes from “Shunshoku no Sora”, TAKOYAKI is also quite adorable and strangely enticing coming from her. It has this innocent flow to it and while Hanako has a little trouble emoting the song, it’s not bad and had quite a bit of charm.

9. Kimi ni Arigatou

As the album’s longest track at 6 minutes flat, I did guess that I was going to have a problem paying attention to this song as it’s a ballad. The melody of the chorus once again seems to be the song’s best quality but otherwise, it’s still mundane and comes off very boring.

10. Aishiteta

Adding acoustic guitar in the mix of things usually won’t save Hanako’s songs because they still come off as plain and not very exciting. In the case of Aishiteta it’s missing something to tie it all together in a nice bow and I think it’s maybe in the arrangement. I do feel that it’s relaxing and surprised that Hanako played as nice as she did but I think the drums didn’t add a lot of punch nor there wasn’t bass to make if full. It’s ok, but nothing memorable.

11. Sotsugyou no Toki (Hikigatari ver.)

As the B-side off of “Cinderella”, Sotsugyou no Toki got a new version on the album but it’s not very dramatic of one to be honest. All they did was take the strings out of the song and Hanako resang it and it kind of sounds live as well. I thought that they took off what made the original work so well and now it’s just a plain ole ballad, disappointed here!

12. GOOD BYE!

As the title track, I was happy that it was another upbeat song for her. It’s bouncy ad kind of has a great feeling throughout. She seems pretty comfortable there and her voice sounds pretty nice otherwise. I like this title track a lot but I don’t think it’s my favorite from the album.

13. Kanashimi Dake de Ikinai de

As we near the end of the album, we get two ballads to close things out. The first in Kanashimi Dake de Ikinai de is quite quiet here and even though a good portion is just her and the piano, strings to play a rather light role in the song. Like I’ve said about her other ballads on this album, they’re OK just nothing I’d really go back to.

14. Ashiato

Didn’t Gocchin end her album with “Ashiato” as well? XD. I can totally say the same that I did with the previous song as it doesn’t bring anything new to the table but it’s suitable as the album’s final song so I guess I’ll give that to her. I will say that oboe was a nice touch…or was that clarinet…hmmm.

Tracks Recommended

Shunshoku no Sora

TAKOYAKI

Toshiue no Kare

Cinderella

GOOD BYE!

Song of Avoidance

Sotsugyou no Toki (Hikigatari ver.)

I initially came into reviewing this album with a bleak look because of the boredom I felt with her last album, “Utakata”. However with good-bye I felt she kind of redeemed herself since this album wasn’t heavy with ballads this time around (which I still think is a weak point to her music at this point). At least the upbeat songs were pretty good for the most part, but I still think she’s a poor man’s Angela Aki. LOL

Fitting to the title, Cinderella is actually kind of cuter than most of Hanako’s other A-sides she has and that’s a good start at least right? The thing that I have disliked about Hanako was her voice being really limited and tight sounding (albeit squeaky). At least she doesn’t stress it too much with this song since it doesn’t make me cringe and the song doesn’t bore me…last time that happened was “Garasu no Hana” XD.

2. Sotsugyou no Toki

Then again, ballads to me aren’t her strongest type of songs and Sotsugyou no Toki is definitely for more of her fans that ARE into her ballads unlike me. At first it is just her and piano (like many of her songs begin) and then adds different instruments at different intervals to make it grow into more of a sweeping ballad. The first half is kind of hampered by her vocals but it’s still quite good the further it moves into the track. It’s a solid song and a bit stronger of a song than most of the singles in the “Utakata” era.

3. Utakata (Live Ver.)

The rest of the single features live versions of songs found in her last era. When she does ballads, she makes them sound SO MUCH better live and she does it well for Utakata here since her vocals sound fuller despite taking out some of the good stuff in the studio version. She just sounds great live and much better of a song than some of the other songs she chose to sing live on other singles.

4. Trump (Live Ver.)

As my least favorite B-side from the “Utakata” era and I still didn’t like even when it was on the album, Trump being sung live is kind of a shady move since I never liked it before. As I said above, she just has magic when she sings ballads live but this time around the tune was still underwhelming and just boring, boring, boring. Will never enjoy Trump unless it goes into a VERY different direction arrangement-wise.

5. Puzzle (Live Ver.)

Puzzle was one of the songs that I actually liked from her album and she pulls off another winner since she still has the deep tones singing the song and she sounds great live. Not much to say otherwise, but if you like the original, this’ll make you happy as well!

Hanako begins a new era with an actually good single in Cinderella. The leading track is great since it’s upbeat and her vocals are quite good as well as in Sotsugyou no Toki but the latter was a ballad. The live versions of her songs from “Utakata” were mostly pretty good except for Trump…but that’s because Trump is such a yawn-inducing song! Good start for hopefully a better era.

So I guess we begin Hanako’s album with the title track. Of course being a piano player works to open the album, by the time I’m into more than half the track, I’m already wondering where’d she get such a good arrangement. The beginning is a bit slow starting since it’s just her and the piano, but at least the chorus adds more instruments to make it less boring. It’s a pretty good opening to the album for sure.

2. Hatsukoi

I still have problems trying to remember her first A-side in the era. I mean it’s Hanako after all and since this style of her music was all over her last album, “BIRTHDAY”, this kind of just came off as bland. The positive thing I can really say is that her vocals have gotten better which is good, but it’s still a tad nasally.

3. Fake

At least with the amount of not so exciting songs, she has those songs that end up sounding nice to listen to (mostly songs that aren’t ballads). I don’t know why, but I just get Elton John vibes just from the arrangement, but I don’t think it’s all that bad. The fact that it’s upbeat stood out for me and is one of my early favorites from the album.

4. Hane

Why does this song sound familiar to me, it’s like she’s done a song exactly like this before… Hane here has a light folkish feel to it mixed with the usual Hanako piano duo but with strings involved. It’s slightly slower than “Fake”, but it surely isn’t a ballad. I don’t know but I just kind of felt there could’ve been more.

5. Aitai Toki ni Aenai

Then we quickly go back into ballad-land with our next new song. I’ve said before that I have a biased outlook for ballads and this kind of just didn’t make me appreciate it. Perhaps the good thing is that there’s an accordion to try to spice things up and this sounds more serious than her other ballads which is good in that sense, but it’s still kind of nothing to get excited over.

6. Trump

Then we get into the two main songs that were on her latest single “Garasu no Hana” starting with the B-side. I think being on the album hurt this song even more because even though I was bored with “Aitai Toki ni Aenai” this song just bored me to death. It’s just a very low-key ballad with no real impact on the album. I would’ve just kept this off the album.

7. Garasu no Hana

At least Garasu no Hana is here to wake me up after that borefest. I love hearing the pan flute used in this song quite a lot. It’s been a while since I’ve been actually happy about a Hanako A-side and since this had the biggest tie-in in the era, Garasu no Hana is going to sound rather different from the other songs on the album. It’s still a grand song to listen to. My only qualm would be that sometimes the music is more powerful than her vocals.

8. Komorebi no Naka de

As the longest song off the album (being only 4 seconds longer than “Hatsukoi”) Komorebi no Nake de is definitely being risky. I’m not a big fan of listening to piano/acoustic guitar ballads and since this kind of didn’t connect with me. About 2 minutes into the song is when drums and strings enter the fray to try to save the song, but by then I’m already spaced out from listening to the first two. It’s just too late to save the song. At least the later half is actually nice to listen to…but iono it’s kind of meh.

9. Niji no Mieru Ashita e

Being the B-side of “Hatsukoi”, Niji no Mieru Ashita e might’ve been a great song to listen to if there was just a little more oomph to the song because it does show off Hanako’s cute vocals quite nicely, but the arrangement is just so shallow and plain that it makes “Happy Days” sound downright amazing.

10. Himitsu no Takaramono

Wow, Himitsu no Takaramono might be the most boring ballad on the album so far. I mean when it’s just Hanako and piano for the entire song it’s bound to make you fall asleep (unless you like these kind of songs, then I stand corrected). Otherwise, I immediately wanted to press next because it didn’t stand out like some of the other songs. Maybe her piano playing during the solo slightly did, but still.

11. Puzzle

Now this is the kind of ballad that would peak my interest. I mean I don’t think I’ve heard a rather depressing song from Hanako…not even her last album had that. I think what caught me off guard the most was the fact that Hanako was singing in a deeper tone and she sounds nice hitting those deeper notes. It’s a different style that I’m normally not used to from Hanako, but I liked it.

12. Shunkashuutou

Ok, so this song is at least better than “Himitsu no Takaramono” but just only slightly because there’s strings here along with Hanako & piano. Otherwise, it just feels like I’m dealing with a happier version of said song and yet it still bores me to death. To the next song!

13. Genki de Ite ne

As we get more closer to the ending of the album, Genki de Ite ne is sadly the last upbeat song off the album, but it’s not as good as I thought it would’ve been. I mean the harmonica is a nice touch and all, and the easy clapping rhythm helped out too, but once again just like “Niji no Mieru Ashita e”, there’s just something that isn’t right and I think it’s just a little too light for me.

14. rebirth

Of course the album has to end with another damn ballad. I think the melody is a bit stronger than “Himitsu no Takaramono”, but the fact that they’re both piano-only songs make it hard to enjoy this song more as well. I mean it’s pretty fitting to end the album and all, but c’mon…really?

Tracks Recommended

Garasu no Hana

Fake

Utakata

Puzzle

Song of Avoidance

Himitsu no Takaramono

Hmmm, Utakata is Hanako’s 5th album to date and to be honest, it’s actually a much weaker album than “BIRTHDAY”. Besides the four songs I recommended, the other songs on the album felt rather weak as songs and there’s been other’s like them that sounded better. The plus side is that most of the songs had better vocals. It might be good to people who love ballads, but for me it’s not my kind of album TBH.

Who would’ve thought that Hanako’s A-side would get a good tie-in with a series like the Tales series? I’m not surprised the song features a lot of piano in it (I mean it’s Hanako Oku we’re talking about). There’s some other instruments here and it gave the song more color which is a plus. It does have a louder and more fuller production value than her last A-side, “Hatsukoi” and that’s a plus side. It’s however her best song since prolly “Ashita Saku Hana” so that’s a good thing.

2. Trump

I usually end up liking at least the B-side more, but it seems that’s switched around. Being a ballad (which she has a bunch of), I was actually pretty bored with this song right from the start since its just her and her keyboard. Not even the later addition of acoustic guitar and drums were enough to save the song. Her voice though in this song reminded me of misono’s vocals….yeah not gonna go there.

3. Hatsukoi (Live ver.)

So while there’s two different editions of the single one has two lives while the other has a live and a piano version. The one that has the two lives come first starting with a live version of Hatsukoi which was her last A-side. It’s just as long which is kind of painful to listen since Hanako isn’t exactly a great live singer like other artists out there. She did alright and the strings were pretty in the background as well. It’s an alright take of the song.

4. Ichibanboshi (Live ver.)

The other song comes from her last album, “BIRTHDAY”. It was one of my favorites from the album because it was one of few upbeat songs off that album. I actually think it sounds like something that would’ve been tied to a Tales of… game. It’s just breezy and sounds much better for Hanako since her vocals aren’t as pitchy as the studio version.

5. Kawaranai Mono (Live ver.)

Wait…I know the song is from “Koi Tegami” and all, but we just had a live version of this song back on the “Ashita Saku Hana” single. I know it’s a different live cut of the song, but did we really need to hear another live version of it, especially so soon? I like the song and she still does justice in performing it live and it sounds like she did better this time singing it.

6. Garasu no Hana (Hikikatari ver.)

Basically a piano version of Garasu no Hana…yeah I definitely would take the original over this because this version took out what made the original so nice and easy to listen to. I was just overly bored with this (like I usually am with piano-only songs). No surprise there.

Hey, we’re finally at the end of the “Utakata” era and Hanako decides to get a pretty big tie-in here. Garasu no Hana is easily the best of the era since its actually different from what we normally get from Hanako. Trump is boring of course so it balances things out. The live versions are what they are I liked all three so that should tell ya something and the Piano-only version is useless. Alright single, but she’s had better.

Hatsukoi is more or less something that we’ve already came across in Hanako’s career. Now that can be considered either a good thing for people who have been fans of her recent music or it could be bad for people who’ve been there from the start. Her vocals can be said the same way…like recently she’s been getting more nasal with her music, but I think she tried hard not to be for this song. It’s a nice song, but nothing that makes it standout from her other piano/strings songs.

2. Niji no Mieru Ashita e

This is what I mean, her more upbeat music suits her a whole lot more than these repetitive sounding ballads. As the B-side of the single, Niji no Mieru Ashita e might not be totally the most exciting song she has, but it definitely is playful and cute to listen to when you pay attention. It’s cute yes, but I think there could’ve been more to the song.

3. Sonna Ki ga Shita (Live ver.)

So the other two tracks are live songs starting with a live version of Sonna Ki ga Shita from her debut album “vol. best”. I usually like her live versions because she oddly sounds a lot better and with this song it really shows since she’s nice nasally at all and there’s only acoustic guitar and some kind of string instrument. Pretty little tune!

4. Garnet (Live ver.)

The other live song is of her 5th single “Garnet”. Not carries itself just like the last song and it’s a little more happier than “Sonna Ki ga Shita’s” live version. Very pretty and is a lot more memorable than the last track to be honest.

Hatsukoi to me is just more or less the same of what I’ve been getting since “Ashita Saku Hana”, but you know why change a good thing right? Both the A & B-sides are really nice, but not wholly memorable, but the live versions were nice renditions.

Hardly two months after “BIRTHDAY” we’re treated to Hanabi which was Hanako’s first release as an artist. Being the oddball indies single A-side, Hanako came back and remastered and resung it in a piano-only version of it. I’ll admit that her music is easier to take in small doses and her voice doesn’t sound as horrible as some of the songs from her latest album did. Still pretty simple as Hanako songs go, this was a nice new touch to the single.

2. ta.la.la

I was surprised at the B-side being cute and full of life. It’s one of those cute songs that’ll get you because of its nature. Hanako sounds rather nice, giving the song a fun vibe to it. Ok, the chorus is just the cutest thing I’ve heard in awhile and I love it. She should really make more of these kind of songs, I’ll definitely appreciate her more if she did ^)^

3. Hanabi ~Kimi ni Koi Shita Natsu no Hi~ (Arrange Version)

Instead of the piano-only of the first track, we get a more filled out song that includes strings. Then they just oddly disappear for the verse which surprised which left us with Hanako and her piano playing. When the chorus appears, things return and become once again full. I thought this was a better cut of Hanabi IMO.

Hanako quietly (in my opinion) released her indies single all remastered and redone. I thought this was a pretty nice single from her altogether and showed that Hanako singles > Hanako albums. I wonder if it’ll be included in her next album, but I doubt it since re-released singles seem to be drowned out.

We begin Hanako’s album with the A-side that finished up the era. Waratte Waratte is sitll pretty reminescent of the other A-sides of the era. It’s does a pretty arrangemnt, that’s a given. I just still think that since there was already so many ballads, she was getting stale at this state of the era. It has gotten better since I’ve had time to get used to it, but still way too many ballads were all over the era.

2. Ichibanboshi

At least we get a relatively good upbeat track in the form of Ichibanboshi. Right from start, you hear drums, guitar, bass, and Hanako playing the keyboard. I’m surprised that I’m liking this song a lot more than a lot of tracks I’ve heard. It’s got a cute hook to it and Hanako’s vocals aren’t too bad, but she’s still nasally and that’s a red flag. Pretty sweet.

3. Bokutachi ni Dekiru Koto

Returning from “Waratte Waratte’s” single. Bokutachi ni Dekiru Koto was the more happier track off the single, but at that price, Hanako’s vocals took a dive in the process. Like I said with the leading A-side, this was a bad decision to really have on the single because I couldn’t exactly make it a good track for me. It was boring and even though it is after “Ichibanboshi” it still is pretty boring otherwise.

4. Birthday

~Happy birthday to you~. I knew somehow that line was going to be used for the title track. It’s just like “Ichibanboshi” in the way it carries itself and being pretty bouncy and fun. Her vocals aren’t too bad here as well which is showing she’s actually trying. Birthday might come off as a little childish at different points, but this song isn’t half that bad

5. Tanin no Namida

I like the fact that Sanin no Namida is a bit different kind of ballad. I mean it’s only just her and the piano and it sounds pretty especially since Hanako’s softer sounding vocals were working for her a lot more. After a while, bass and drums are added to fill in the more important spots. Another pretty strong track from the album.

6. Saigo no Koi

I know it’s pretty cynical of me to say it, but I’m getting a little tired of Hanako opening each track with a small piano line. Of course it’s another ballad, and it oddly reminds me of “Waratte Waratte” which is bad as it was pretty meh as well. It also brings the worst of her vocals as she cracks bad going for the high notes here. Nothing special here.

7. Anemone

Anemone is a strange track right from the start. It starts with an orgel melody and Hanako singing a part of the verse before this light R&B sounds comes in and helps with Hanako’s vocals. Honestly, this is the nicest I’ve heard Hanako right now and the song’s calm and laidback sound just works. It even ends off with the orgel melody. Gotta say, I’m impressed.

8. Aoi Heya

We go back to bland piano music with Aoi Heya. Like a bunch of other tracks on the album, Aoi Heya is just Hanako and piano working their magic across 5 minutes (pretty long for a track that’s almost like a ballad). She really shows off her skills in the song so it does make up for the lack of interest in the singing sections.

9. Chocolate

Why am I not surprised that Chocolate would’ve been a happy-go-lucky track. It is a bit like the other upbeat tracks but there’s a harmonica solo in the song so that’s what really makes it pop out at me and I really liked it. I’m happy that she excels at these kind of fun tracks and this isn’t bad at all either.

10. Hotarubi

Jeeze, it’s hard to stay awake when the album keeps going back to these overly simple ballads that always seem to make my mind drift off into sleep mode. Once again Hanako shows off pretty good vocals, but it’s hampered by the vacant arrangement of the song, so it’s doesn’t leave a mark on me.

11. Anata ni Suki to Iwaretai (Piano Hikikatari ver.)

Instead of the orchestral number of the original, but it was screwed with and erased what made the original pretty good. Like “Hotarubi” it’s just Hanako and piano again and I dislike what they did on the album version of this track. I really don’t know why they would take out the one thing that made the song listenable out and left it as plain as ever!

12. Ashita Saku Hana

Luckily, the first A-side fills those shoes pretty quickly and it’s a pretty good song to represent the era as well. Having the things that “Anata ni Suki to Iwaretai” didn’t have, Ashita Saku Hana is a way better ballad of the album and mostly it’s because of how broad the arrangement is with the strings that fill in the song’s empty spaces. Probably the best ballad of the album.

13. Happy days (Album mix ver.)

Jeeze way to stick the Happy days near the end of the album. The single version didn’t have a beat like this one did and I loved it because it just added more color to the song. I do enjoy the new additions to the song and it fits with Hanako’s more joyous vocals here. Why can’t she have more tracks like this?

14. Tomoshibi

Ending off the album, Tomoshibi once again proves that Hanako can sing really good when she wants to because I find myself enjoying the calmer sound of her vocals. Sadly, the song isn’t anything to write home to about. It gradually gets better when other instruments enter in so I guess it’s an easy song to get along with. What a nice way to end the album (I think.)

Tracks Recommended

Happy days (Album mix ver.)

Anemone

Ashita Saku Hana

Ichibanboshi

Sanin no Namida

Song of Avoidance

Anata ni Suki to Iwaretai (Piano Hikikatari ver.)

I really had a hard time reviewing this album. I mean a lot of the tracks were ballads and you know how I get with them. Hanako did a way better singing on the album tracks rather than the songs that were from her singles so that’s a good thing, but it was hard to pay attention with Hanako and her piano being all over her tracks. I’m for it, she just needs to change it up once in a while….especially if it’s a keyboard….PLAY SOMETHING ELSE ON IT!